Episode 1524 (30 October 1997)
Synopsis Sarah decides she should apologise to Joe but is afraid he won't want to talk to her. Alex suggests she do it sooner rather than later. Kathy returns to the café, which Mary has been trying to manage, with help and direction from Pat. Pat is there helping with breakfast when Kathy decides she's coming back to work. Pat shows her the child's picture sent from Cindy, just as Ian walks in. He asks for a copy and Pat says he can keep the picture. He tells them he has hired a private detective and is meeting her this weekend. Alex comes in and tells Kathy he's glad she's back because the standards were dropping. She thanks him for listening the other day, and he modestly says he did nothing. Phil comes in and jealously asks Kathy what she was talking to Alex about and asks to see Ben this evening. She says that's not reasonable notice for her, and he will have to make better arrangements, but Phil insists. Roy, who tried to talk to Pat before she left for the café, returns at lunchtime. Pat appears wearing a pink monstrosity on her head that is supposedly a wedding hat. Roy tells her it's all off. Pat is surprised and says Barry must feel humiliated, which explains him not being around. Roy says there's something else.... Joe is eating breakfast when Lorraine walks into the kitchen, startling him. He says she's supposed to be at work, and she says she told him she was taking the day off to pack for her move to Bolton. Joe insists she didn't tell him but then pretends it doesn't matter. Lorraine stops him trying to run out and says she knows what has happened with Mary because Irene told her. Joe gets upset and says that he never slept with Mary in Bolton and Irene is just trying to split them up. Lorraine says Irene used to be quite keen on Joe, so she wouldn't make it up. Joe gets angry and says Lorraine is on her side and doesn't believe him. Lorraine tells him that she isn't and does he remember when David lied to them, thinking it was to spare their feelings, but in the end it only hurt them even more. She concludes that she hopes he's telling the truth because if he's lying, then he will find it hard to live with himself. He leaves in a huff and a little while later Peter turns up on the doorstep, and they are both extremely surprised to see each other. Peter asks where Joe is and Lorraine says she doesn't know. Peter says it's probably his fault he should have given the exact time he would arrive. Lorraine is annoyed that Joe was expecting him and hadn't told her. He returns and explains that she was supposed to be at work. Lorraine leaves them to talk and Peter tells Joe he's annoyed too, because it was a big shock to see Lorraine again. Joe says he lied a bit about why he wanted to see him, and starts to explain obliquely about his girlfriend problems. Peter says it's not necessarily a big deal if he was just attracted to another girl, but before Joe can explain properly, Lorraine is back, and Joe tells Peter quickly to say nothing at all about this to her. Lorraine and Peter are forced to talk and she's persuaded to see him in a gig, which annoys her afterwards and she blames Joe. Joe goes to the refuge and is worried about whether Sarah will talk to him. When she is keen, he is surprised and she arranges to visit later that evening. Tony gets totally annoyed with Terry using all their food, and puts large notices on the cupboards for him and for them. He tells Terry that he's fed up with having to buy food for him all the time, and he's never been near a supermarket since he came to live with them and he is eating them out of house and home. Michael's son Matthew is staying with him and still being too clever for his own good. Diane begs Ricky to babysit for this evening, even though he has promised to take Bianca out, because Thomas is in London and wants to meet her. Pat is furious with Roy and Barry when she discovers the full extent of damage left in Vanessa's wake. She tells Roy she knew he was stupid to trust Barry. Roy says he has tried everything, and the only solution is to sell off Manor Wood and the cab business and hope they raise enough to keep Deals on Wheels running. When Barry turns up later she has a go at him, saying that it is everything his father spent his entire life building up and he has lost it all. Now they will struggle for the rest of their lives instead of living comfortably and taking it easy. The traders are still whinging about the rubbish not being collected regularly from the market and it's piling up and attracting rats. Annie sees the opportunity and suggests to Ian that he use it for his campaign, since it would be very popular if he could do something about it. She says that she'll arrange it while he just has to get the newspaper here to interview him. When Polly turns up, Annie's gang of men are sweeping through the market picking up all the rubbish. Annie makes a quick phone call once they have started. Ian chats to Polly who's uninterested in his claims to make the council do something about the rubbish and his election propaganda. A few minutes later, a few large men turn up and threateningly stop the leader of the rubbish collecting gang picking up a bag. Annie smiles and goes into the Vic to interrupt Polly and Ian's conversation to say that the council binmen have turned up and Ian had better come out here now because it looks like it will turn nasty. Ian goes out and the council men seem remarkably eager to listen when he asks what is wrong. They say these men are taking their jobs, and Ian explains it's only a publicity stunt, a one-off, and he is on their side, and wants more regular collections. In fact, if he is elected, and the collections are reinstated, their pay will go up as they will be back on full-time wages. Annie looks smug and Ian is made to look a hero with Polly taking notes. Phil visits Kathy and pathetically tries to apologise again and persuade her to change her mind. She is adamant and tells him it's all over. Sarah and Joe have their chat. Joe is working up to telling her when she says that she doesn't want to know any more, and she wants to apologise for thinking the worst of him, and to forget all about it, and will he forgive her? Joe hugs her but looks worried. Credits Main cast *Sarah Hills - Daniela Denby-Ashe *Joe Wicks - Paul Nicholls *Alex Healy - Richard Driscoll *Kathy Mitchell - Gillian Taylforth *Mary Flaherty - Melanie Clark Pullen *Pat Evans - Pam St. Clement *Ian Beale - Adam Woodyatt *Phil Mitchell - Steve McFadden *Roy Evans - Tony Caunter *Lorraine Wicks - Jacqueline Leonard *Tony Hills - Mark Homer *Terry Raymond - Gavin Richards *Matthew Rose - Joe Absolom *Diane Butcher - Sophie Lawrence *Ricky Butcher - Sid Owen *Barry Evans - Shaun Williamson *Annie Palmer - Nadia Sawalha *Polly Becker - Victoria Gould Guest cast * Peter - Mark McKenna Category:Episode Category:1997 Episodes